Motor-sleigh.



J. 'S. CHISH OLM.

MOTOR SLEIGH. APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented, Jan. 22,1918.

1. S. CHISHOLWL Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- l mm o Wanna nnrr eras earn r ninth Jenn s. cnftsnomvz', or person, ivucnreen MOTOR-SLEIGH.

1254 479. Specification of Lettrs Patent Patented Jan. 22, l9ll8, A iic'aaoa filed may 5, 191a serial no. 95,687.

To all whom it may concern: a p v driven in reverse directions by suitable Be it known that 1, Jo nt S. CH SHOLM, a power transmission mechanism, about which citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at the said drives, as a cluster, are free to Detroit, in' the county of Wayne and State niove in a vertical plane parallel with the of Michigan, have invented certain new and line of movement of the sleigh, the better useful Improvements in Motor-Sleighs; and to adapt themselves to surface and road I do hereby declare the following to be a irregularities. g

full clear, and exact description ofthe in With the foregoingaudother objects and Ventio-n, such as will enable others skilled advantages in View, the invention further in the art to which it appertains to make resides in the general combination and and use the same. structural arrangement of correlative parts, 5 This" invention contemplates certain new all of which will be hereinafter particularly and useful improvements in inotor or power described and pointed out by the appended driven sleighs, and relates more especially claims;

to that class wherein the propelling and In the accompanying drawings which tractive means constitute the main 81130614] illustrate one embodiment of the iresent inand load carrying elements of the sleigh. i Vention, and whereupon corresponding nu- An object of the present invention is to mea refer to like parts in the several provide a power driven sleigh, includingviews; y a novel arrangement of lieli'c'ally disposed Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invenrunners as the tractive transmission means, tion, showing a tanden pair of helical supwhereby the greatest possible load carrying porting and propelling runners, an interand propelling efficiency is obtained. mediate gear casing dcpen dent from a sleigh Another object of the invention isthe profloor, movable front steering runners, and a duction' of a motor sleigh in which the tracinotor diagrammatically shown. live transmission means coinprises a plu- Fig.2is arelatively enlarged plan view rality of helical runners or shoes which are of both sets of helically formed supporting of substantially v shape in cross section, and propelling runners, showing also their and areadapte'd' to both'support and propel respective driving shafts, a gear casing, a the vehicle. inain power shaft andby dotted lines the Another object or thepr'es'ent in'ventioniis interconnected transmission gears for rotoproduce a power-driven sleigh including tating said helical runners. y 7 in combination a series of helical c age-like Fig. 3 is a rear end View showing means. or skeleton runners arrangedand adapted for supporting the yehicle frame, and also to be driven in pairs. and designed in the the inwardly curved ends of the helicalruninatter of'pitchaccordingt'opredetermined 11ers a o, A y calculations dependent upon the varying Figt isa detail sectional View through load and snow conditions under which the oneV-sliaped hel cal runncr.. showing in full sleigh is intended for use; lines one end of one supporting spoke or A further object ofjthe present invention spider-arm having an enlarged head. to is the pr'oduction'of motor sleighs mounted which said runners are securely holted, as upon helical runners, whichbecause'ot the shown.

peculiar arraugeirent and form of their'con- Fig; 5fis al top planyiew of one of the tacting surfaces obtain a n aximlun tractive' supporting heads shown by F g. {Land hold or n) u onthe snow thus insurin Fi 6 1s a deta l cross sectional View the highest possible degree of propelling through another portionof onejhelcalrun- 1C0 eliiciency; and atfthe'sainetime insuring'a ner;'-'illus"rating afiller blocl; or reinforcing minimum amount'of resistance to-theirro str p embedded therein. y y r .7 tary slipping-movement astheiehicle' ad Reference'beingladtothe drawings and Van-ee s, V p numerals thereon. the present invent on will Afurther obiect is the' production of lightbe seen-to comprise"an ong other things, e and exceedinaly" strong cage-like hel calsupporting franie upon w j'ch may be supporting and driving runners; arranged in niounted a'nv desired form of sleigh or truck:

oppositely disposed" pairsfcap'abl'e' of being body, a""clouble"series"of'h'elical runners in under which they may be operated with more or less satisfaction. Experience has shown that they have been most efficient in heavy, wet and comparatively shallow bodies of snow, and quite inefficient when the snow is deep, dry, mealy or flaky. I-leretofore the load has invariably been shifted to smooth runners longitudinally arranged, or to cylinders similarly arranged, and when helical propellers have been employed in conjunction with such supporting means,

they have been used for tractive purposes only. In other words, the weight of the load, and the propelling force have not heretofore been applied through the same identical surfaces on the snow. iVhile on the contrary the present invention employs this as its basic principle of operation, every pound V of load being supported by the driving or propelling shoes, and every inch of said shoes in contact with the snow being at one and the same time both a propelling and supporting surface.

Practical experience with the present construction has demonstrated its utility and efficiency. In soft snows the helical shoes or runners naturally sink until the reaction bears up the load, when, the tractive force as applied to the runners, being a negligible 1 quantity in comparison with the load, does not bear back or dig into the surface of the snow, but onthe contrary causes the said helical runners to slip smoothly in transverse grooyes formed by their V surfaces thus applying power upon the principle of a screw. That 1s'to. say, the load and pull areapplied at identical points, and cooperate in securlng an effective tractive footing, the helical arrangement of runners, and their substantially V-shape cross sectional form, serving to apply the tractive force without in the least relieving them of their load carrying functions. It is an undoubted fact that a straight shoe or runner impinging directly upon the snow, whether in a horsedrawn or power-driven vehicle of types heretofore known, must first pack the snow uniformly to an appreciable depth in order toproduce a dependable tractive surface, whereas with rotary helical load supporting and propelling shoes or runners having V threads such as employed in the present inmechanical means,

vention. there is cfiected a constant packing of what may be comparatively termed a skin surface of snow, upon which the upbearing helical runners are constantlydisposed to climb while slipping through the V grooves which are cut as they advance.

It is'a well known fact that horse-drawn sleighs were originally equipped with "flat runners, and thatsame were attendediby constant tendency toward side slipping upon slanting or uneven surfaces, or from' the snow covered crowns of road beds. It is also understood that these flat runners were superseded by half round runners, which in a measure cured the defects aforesaid by cutting their way in the snow and producing shallow channels within which to travel. The said half round runners are the horsedrawn equivalent of the present self-propelled V-shaped runners, in so far as a retrograde or cutting back action of the runn s themselves is concerned. In the one side slipping isdiscouraged as the sleigh vances, in the other-cutting .or tearing back of the individual V runner is'prevented as they are caused to slip spirally through V grooves of their own formation while the sleigh advances. In the one there is no bearing up tendency from the level of the impacted snow at a depth sufficient to susta n the entire weight of the vehicle and load, in the other this uplifting action is amply provided' for as aforesaid,' while at the same time this hunting-action of the vrunners serves admirably to keep them clear of snow, when operating at comparatively low temperatures. The added transverse motion not only removes the snow from runners by but helps to work the frost out-of them which would otherwise cause the snow to cling. j

Reference being bad to the drawings which form part of this application for Letters Patent, and to the numerals thereon, it will be seen that the present invention com prises a main vehicle frame 1, upon which is'mounted 'a suitable engine or storage bat-1 tery diagrammatically indicated at 2. The front supporting and steering shoes or-runners 3 may be of any well known material f or form of construction, and are intermediately pivoted at 4. the better to conform to inequalities of the snow or road conditions. The means for steering said runners 3 may be of any well known construction operated by suitable connections such as'a'steermg wheel (not'shown), cooperating with interconnected turning levers 5 and vertical steering posts within a hollow supporting No particular novelty is claimed for the structure as thus far described, the invention residing more especially in the propelling and supporting runners of special formation, in means for transmitting power thereto, a special arrangement of transmission gear housing or casing, and certain detail features of construction now to be more particularly pointed out.

The said supporting and propelling runnets are by preference located in rear of the front steering runners 3 under the main load carrying section of the sleigh, but obviously this relation of runners may be reversed if desired without in the least departing from the spirit of the invention or its method of operation. They are of helical and cagelike form, arranged in oppositely disposed pairs 9, 9 and 10, opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the sleigh. Moreover, these said supporting and propelling runners are connected with the main frame 1. by means of depending hangers l1 encircling at their lower ends a transmission gear housing 12 near each end thereof as shown by Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

extending through each enlarged T end 12 of said gear housing 12, and at right an gles thereto, are parallel driving shafts 13 and 1st. These shafts extend equal distances upon each side of the gear housing according to the length of runners 9, 9 and 10, 10, employed. In the present illustrations said helical runners are shown of equal length and four in number, although this may be varied indefinitely according to re quirements in special cases. The four helical runners shown are. counterparts one of the other, except for the fact that the pitch of the oppositely arranged pairs is reversed, they being oppositely driven as will later ap pear, and for this reason a description of a single cage-like helical runner will suflice for all.

Each of these important elements of the present invention therefore, consists of a cylindrical cage-like screw or helix, capable of being rotated in either direction, and formed of a plurality of ii-shaped steel bars 15 having their concave sides toward the center of the structure, and their convex sides outwardly inclined so as to produce a V- shaped track in the snow when used. They are also of a pitch best suited to the local snow and load conditions, and are secured in place by means of radial arms or spiders 16 which are themselves securely mounted in suitable hubs 17 keyed to their respective driving shafts 13 and 14. These radial arms 16, moreover, by preference each terminate at their outer ends in an enlarged head 18, of substantially cubical form, having sides 19 arranged and adapted to neatly engage the convex inner surface or angular grooves in the ribs or bars 15, and by means of suit 10, each pair being upon able bolts 20 the said heads and V-bars rigidly secured by Fig. 4. a

In the present form of V-rib or angle bar 15, filler or reinforcing strips 21 are employed, any suitable material being used for this purpose, but preference being given to hard wood strips of a cross sectional area corresponding with the convex shape of ribs 15, and steam bent to conform with their helical contour, that form shown by Fig. 6 being triangular.

As to the included angle of these V grooves that is, of course, constant in any one sleigh, but obviously this may be varied indefinitely on sleighs of different capacities and in sleighs intended for use under different climatic conditions, thereby securing an effective footing in the snow for a wide range of road and load conditions.

In practice, filler strips 21 are held in place primarily by cooperation of the angular faces or sides 19 of the head sections 18 formed upon the outer ends of radial arm or spokes 16 as aforesaid. The angular sides 19 of head sections 18, which are not in engagement with the V grooves of ribs 15, constitute retaining surfaces for engagement with the correspondingly beveled ends of said filler strips 21., thus dovetailed in place between correspondingsurfaces 19 upon adjacent heads 18, within the V grooves of their respective rib sections, as the helical runners are originally assembled.

In constructing the helical cage-like supporting and propelling runners of the present invention it is quite obvious that the number, length and diameter, as also the pitch of the runner elements may be greatly varied according to service requirements, but in the form of construction shown by the drawings, as an exemplification of this invention, six-helical V ribs or angle bars 15 are employed. And it will be particularly noted that opposite ends of these individual ribs 15 are bent inwardly toward the center of the cage-like structure, upon the arc of a smaller helix preserving the same pitch as nearly as possible so as to provide for running either way, and guard against a digging tendency which the helical runners would otherwise have.

The power transmission for operating these helical load supporting and propelling runners 9 and 10, comprises a train of gearing of any well known construction, and any desirable form of a prime mover such as diagrammatically represented at 2 Fig. 1. A power shaft 23 extends rearwardly from the said engine, and is provided with a bevel gear 24 shown in dotted lines) meshing with a similar larger gear adapted to cooperate with an ordinary diiferential 26, and with laterally extending driving shafts 2'7, 27. Upon the outer ends of the latter shafts are together, as clearly shown ill] are-secured bevclgears 28, 28, which in turn mesh with similar gears 29, 29, securely keyed to the longitudinal and parallel power transmitting shafts 13 and 1-lcarrying the helical runners 9 and 10, as hereinbefore set forth.

Within the gear casing 12 and its oppositely disposed T ends 12 suitable bearings are provided for all moving parts, and the foregoing tion in one form of embodiment its operation will now be briefly set forth as follows:

Power applied through main shaft 23, and suitable gearing such as shown by dotted lines within gear casing 12 and 12, to power shafts 13 and 14, causes their respective cagelike helical runners 9 and 10, arranged in tandem pairs, to rotate in reverse directions, their V-shaped exterior surfaces in the meantime cutting corresponding grooves in the surface of the snow, thereby advancing the sleigh of which they are a part, or backing same as the case may be, upon the principle ofa screw cutting its way in soft wood. It

will be observed that the present cage-like driving and supporting runners insure lightness and strength, and at the same tiine a structure which will not become clogged or congested in damp sticky snow.

And because of the said peculiar V bearings in the snow, coupled with the principle of applyingboth the weight of the load and the propelling force through the same identical supporting surfaces, a most effective tractive footing is obtained for the individual ribs or bars 15 in grooves which they themselves have packed; cutting or tearing back of said grooves at an angle to the rotary' being a description of the inven structural changes may be "made and substitutcd for parts herein shown and described without in the least departing from the spirit ofmy invention, which will now be set fol-thin the following claims:'

1. A helical propelling member for motor driven sleighs comprising spaced apart parallel V-shaped angle bars, having their intermediate port ons concentric with a-central'axis and having their outer ends terminating eccentrically thereto, and supporting spokes extending into the angle of the V- shaped bars, for positioning the saidpropolling member in open cage-like formation.

2. A helical propelling member for motor driven sleighs comprising spaced apart parallel V-shaped angle bars, having their intermediate portions concentric with a central axis and having their outer ends terminating eccentrically thereto, and spaced spider supports having heads adapted to fit within the angle of the V-shaped bars for positioning the said propelling member in open cage-like formation. 1

In testimony whereof I in presence of two subscribing witnesses.-

' JOHN S. CHISHOLM;

Witnesses:

JAMES G. LARMER," J. F. Firzsnioxs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C,

affix my signature, 

